£2,500 was
bought forward from last year's budget and a further award of £1,500 was made
this year.
The first
question that springs to mind is why she was awarded money this year when she
already had £2,500 left over from last year and this would have been more than
enough to cover even her own over elaborate spending this year?
It is estimated that DTC spent around £80 each on each of the
planters they were responsible for planting and they were not planted in time
for the Jubilee which was the reason for the award. When applying for the award
it was stated that Deal would be an array of Red, White & Blue flowers for the special jubilee. On the Queens Jubilee
the planters were empty.
Was this value for money?.
Volunteers have been allowed to take over the seafront
planters (after much angst by some Councillors) and they have said the plants
they used cost around £5 per planter but no expense was to the taxpayer.
Marlene would prefer to spend £80 on each despite them not
being in place for the jubilee celebrations. WHY?
For many years Marlene Burnham has held on tight to the Deal
In Bloom . Volunteers have long offered
to take over the roll of planting and maintaining the flowerbeds in the town.
They have had to fight inch by inch. When the planters got planted without
permission by 'Guerrilla Gardeners' the Mayor indicated that those responsible
might be in trouble.
The Mayor also gave out hanging baskets in a bid to 'brighten
up the town' These cost the council tax payer £990. I for one never noticed the
brightening up of the town by randomly placed baskets, addresses of where they
were given were not collected. I find this wrong as the 2009 auditor's report
had already pulled Marlene up for not recording correctly and inappropriate
spending.
Regardless of this, we can establish that around £1,400 was spent
on flowers this year. So what is the other approx. £2,600 for?
A further freedom of information request revealed that £500
was allocated out of the Deal in Bloom budget to finance a whim by Eileen
Rowbotham which was to buy a lead lined time capsule to be kept in a cupboard
in the town hall. Time capsules are not part of Deal in Bloom so why would the
budget be allocated via the flower pot? As it happens the capsule has not yet
been purchased and the accompanying drinks party has not occurred.
So Marlene, What is to be done with the thousands you have in
excess?
